One For Sorrow, Two Also For Sorrow
by ABigBlueBox
Summary: One for Sorrow, Two for Mirth - only works if the Qrow in question lets people in. When your semblance is to bring misfortune, it's easy to think shutting people out and leaving them behind is a mercy, but when Qrow's past re-emerges, will he pick to run again? Aka, ya gal likes her OCs and feels like Qrow gets a rough time in RWBY
1. Chapter 1

Qrow lay on the bed, curled on his side, the pain obvious on his face even in sleep. He faced the window, the light spilling on to the sharp lines of his face, throwing deep shadows into the cut of his chin, defined and as clear as if it had been drawn. A creak filled the air, springs groaning at added weight, as a figure cloaked in darkness sat down on the bed next to him. She sat, her hip resting against his back, warmth spreading from him and comforting her. She brushed her hands through his hair, feeling the soft touch of hair to rough calluses, and let out a sigh, wearied with worry, a fading panic from the recent past and a dread of what still to come. A small smile, one that wasn't formed in the lips, but in the whole lighting of her face, lifting her eyes out of the dark depths of worry, to a warmer, more familiar, motherly scolding, graced her face.

"Oh, Qrow," she breathed, the lines brushing themselves off her forehead and disappearing into the crevices of her mind. "I haven't missed this."  
Her hand faltered in its stroke, a hesitation, a decision not yet made lingered in her muscles. A yearning brewed in her gut to do a familiar action that had long been forgotten. A small cough, a clearing of a throat, drew her gaze upwards, and she looked at the young girl wrapped in her red cloak. Artemis Nyx dropped her hand from the feathery brush of Qrow's hair, and stood, leaving the bed with the same creak that had heralded her presence.

"Sorry!" Ruby stumbled, with an apologetic glance to the floor. "I can go…" But Nyx was already moving to the door, smiling at the young figure, framed in the doorway, as she left.

"No, forgive me," she insisted, sweeping herself out of Ruby's way. "You should be there for him when he wakes."  
Even as Nyx spoke, she disappeared into the shadows of the hallway, leaving the trail of words in the air, and Ruby alone in the room.

* * *

Nyx moved down the corridor with a stealth that was habitual, rather than necessary. She placed her feet on the boards least likely to creak, forming an irregular gait, yet didn't think about the action at all, for she was lost in her own thoughts, her own memories, of the last time she had been stuck in a house, waiting for Qrow to wake. She felt the exact same now as she had all those years ago, the same tightening feeling in her gut, squeezing through her frame and tightening the skin around the base of her skull. She felt as though her body wanted to tear itself apart, inflict the same pain on to others as Qrow was feeling, and yet never wanted anyone to hurt ever again. She itched to act, yet couldn't think of anything whilst he lay there, struggling to recover from his injuries.

She felt pathetic.

Nyx had hoped that seeing him, in any state, after all this time, would be met with an indifference. That she could act coolly and rationally - not be emotionless, simply able to control her emotions. But apparently that was not to be. The pain that she had felt then still haunted her now, the swirling of emotions, desire for revenge, to heal, to do _something_ at least, still drove her to a frenzy.

She leant against the wall and let out a heavy breath, trying to regain control of her spiralling thoughts. Her face burned against the clammy coolness of her forearm, and Nyx blew the air out forcefully, demanding a control she did not possess over herself. Her chest heaved as slowly, slowly, the clenching of her fists released, the knot in her gut loosened, and she could breath again.

She could not let Qrow see the pain he still caused her. That despite his best efforts to distance himself from everyone, family and friends alike, she still loved him.

* * *

The next day Qrow was back on his feet, sauntering about as usual, and Nyx had disappeared. None of the students had mentioned the mysterious figure who had emerged from shadows to help them, finding them a safe place to stay, then vanished as quietly as she had came. They were all far too excited to go see the city of Mistral, far too concerned with when an attack may come on the school. An energy drove them which caused them to forget all about Nyx's sudden, and brief appearance.

Yet, as Qrow led the children through the dark corridor of hewn rock towards the city centre, a prickling lifted the hairs on his neck, and he had an unsettling feeling he was being watched.  
The feeling continued the entire way to the school, causing him to stand straighter than he ever normally would, one hand perpetually out of his pocket, ready to snatch his scythe in case of an attack.  
If Ruby noticed anything out of the ordinary about her uncle, she held her tongue.

* * *

The conversation with Lionheart had not gone at all how Qrow had hoped it would, but at least that creeping feeling of being watched had left him. He still felt a tension in his shoulders, an uneasiness, but it was more retrospective than immediate. He did not feel as though he would come under attack at that moment, and his body groaned a relief at the more relaxed gait it was allowed to take. He still ached all over from the poison that had filled his body, his very bones feeling bruised and battered, even if he refused to show it. Qrow felt the uneasiness of a man who had been lied to, yet he couldn't figure out why Lionheart was lying. He didn't trust the headmaster any longer, the delaying tactic he had impressed upon Qrow and the others seemed like just that: a tactic. There was something rotten in the heart of the school, and it smelt like Salem.

* * *

Nyx lurked in the shadows of the headmaster's office, her semblance hiding her from his prying eyes. She cloaked herself in the crouched position in the corner, listening intently as a man emerged into the centre of the room. Something was familiar to her, something about his face, but she couldn't work out what. He didn't seem to hold himself like a huntsman, yet her spine crawled at his appearance. He was dangerous, she could taste it in the very air, clogging her throat and paralysing her limbs. As he and Lionheart spoke, Nyx shrank into the corner, feeling a dread that she didn't understand. She did not know the people they spoke of, or the implications of what this exchange might mean, but she did know who would.

Trapped there, she committed everything she could to memory, lifting her scroll to take a photo of the man's face, memorising the words that passed between the two men. She felt as though she was listening in on a conspiracy, on something which would start a war so great that the Great War would need renamed.

Her focus was being strained as the conversation continued, and a female voice joined the fray. It did not emit from a scroll or anyone within the room, but a floating cracked Grimm. She had seen, and heard, more than enough for herself. The instinct to flee, to get out, before that woman noticed her, filled her, lifting her out of her crouch and on to the balls of her toes.  
Yet she didn't dare move. She knew somewhere in herself, that this was a conversation that needed to be heard in its entirety, that missing the end could mean missing information crucial to the prevention of utter destruction.

* * *

Qrow had moved himself to a bar, lost in his own thoughts, and in a bottle of whisky. The golden colour of the liquid caught the orange glow of the table lights and burned in his glass, a bright, glowing ember, unquenched by the ice that danced within it. It was molten gold, swirling and glinting, taunting Qrow with its precious nature. Qrow, naturally, did not appreciate the beauty of the drink, and simply tilted it back, draining it in one swift gulp. He leant on the bar, waving the glass at the barman.

"Make the next one a double," he said, his characteristic drawl extended slightly longer than usual. The bartender resisted rolling his eye, internally debated kicking Qrow out, but he hadn't done anything yet, so he merely took the glass and refilled it from the opened whisky bottle.

Qrow had just grasped the glass when a noise sounded from behind him, and he turned to see a small farmhand, looking very uncomfortable and bewildered.

"I don't think they let kids in here," Qrow commented dryly, lifting his glass to his lips. The kid looked away from Qrow and muttered something Qrow didn't quite catch under his breath. He sighed, and then looked up.

"I'm to tell you," he paused, and then shoved his hands uncomfortably in his pocket. "I'm to tell you, I'd like my cane back."

Silence. Then Qrow cackled, and drank the rest of his glass. He didn't respond to the kid, but turned to the bartender.

"You know, I'll just take the rest of the bottle."

* * *

Nyx stumbled along the cobblestone streets, reeling at the information she had not that long ago just learnt. She crashed sideways into a wall, her shoulder crunching under the impact of bone against brick. She wormed her way through streets, lost in reality as well as in her own thoughts. She couldn't remember the way back to the apartments she'd found for those kids and Qrow, she couldn't even work out where she was within the city. Who was this Salem that wanted to watch the world burn for no reason other than she could? If the maidens were real, then what other fairy tales were actually based in truth?

Was this what Ozpin had dragged Qrow and the others into when they were at Beacon?

Wait, did they cause the fall of Beacon?

Shit, that was the apartments.  
Nyx bolstered her way through the outer door, and hurried up to where the kids were staying. She banged on the door, her fist crumbling into a flat palm as she hit over and over, demanding entry. On the fifth impact, the door slid open, wrenched back by the ginger haired girl.

"Where's Qrow?" Nyx demanded even as she saw him lying on the couch, one arm dangling towards the ground, still holding the ever-present flask of his. An unfamiliar kid sat on the armchair behind him, and looked up at her. As he did, his eyes flashed, and he spoke with Ozpin's voice.

"Miss Nyx. An unexpected pleasure."

At her name, Qrow lifted his head and looked at the confused figure. They spoke with one voice, surprise driving them.

"_What the fuck?_"


	2. Chapter 2

Qrow had suffered through sobering up slightly. His joy at 'finding' Oz was matched perfectly with his horror and despair at seeing Nyx once more. Actually, horror and despair weren't the right emotions. He felt something. He wasn't sure what that something was. But it was there, lurking in his gut and poking small holes through the softest parts of him. Wasn't he in enough pain already?

She glanced up at him, and met his gaze. She held it only for a few seconds, unreadable in that short eternity, an emotion he couldn't quite tell brewing in the back of her eyes. She blinked slowly and then looked up at Oz.

"I've had a really weird day, and now you just spoke with my old headmaster's voice, saying some really fucked up stuff. So if you could just bear with me for one moment." Nyx got up, left the students to ask their own questions, and made herself a cup of tea.

* * *

The students sat in a stunned silence as Nyx made her tea, and bit her lip to hold in the scream of frustration that built up in her. She pushed the mug back from the edge of the counter, and folded her arms on to the cold stonework. She stretched her legs out behind her until her hamstrings screamed out in process and pressed her forehead on to her arms, biting the inside of her lip as she heard Yang's demand of Ozpin.

"You forgot something. You forgot to tell everyone what you did to Qrow and my mother." Yang's voice was clipped, and the disdain was evident, even to Nyx in the kitchen. Nyx lifted her head slightly, catching sight of Qrow turning back to face Yang. Nyx held herself still, her limbs quivering with an anger she didn't understand as Ozpin let a dissatisfied grunt.

"That's not a secret I thought she would give up so easily," Oz admitted. "Your mother must trust you a lot."

* * *

Nyx decided at this point she couldn't handle anymore revelations, and stepped away from the counter. She flung open a window and crouched on the sill. One hand braced on the window frame, she turned to look back. She grimaced, then grabbed the edge of the window and pulled it shut with a sharp tug, leaping in the same moment.

* * *

The others heard the slam of the window, and Qrow's head shot around to look for Nyx, yet all he saw was the forgotten tea. For a moment he considered going after Nyx, yet the one thing he knew was that if she had left, she wouldn't appreciate being chased. Yang, however, had not taken her eyes off of Oz, and her gaze demanded a full explanation. Unwillingly, Oz gave it.

"My ability to reincarnate, though a curse, is not without a few key benefits," he said, standing. "Not unlike the maidens, I too possess a certain magical quality. I gifted the Branwen twins with the capability to see more, to go-"

"He turned us into birds." Qrow cut across, and took a swig of his flask.

"To put it simply, yes," Oz conceded. "Rather ridiculous sounding out loud, isn't it?"

The group let out their disbelief, talking over each with equally incredulous sounding remarks or scoffs. Only Yang continued to stare defiantly at Oz, and Weiss let her gaze drop, before letting out a quiet confirmation of all she had seen.

* * *

Whilst Yang demanded her answers, and Oz relinquished them, Nyx took off into the night. The shadows had always been her home, providing a comfort wherever she went, as they ought to, since they formed a key component of her semblance. She tucked them around her as she ran through the half-deserted streets, the muttering retreat of Mistral citizens filling the air as a bullet of shadows rushed past them. She flung herself at one of the barriers of the mountain paths, clinging on to it as though it were a lifeline, and suddenly realising the wetness that clung to her face. Too late for it to be dew, passed on to her face from the tree leaves that had whipped at her skin, too dry a night for it to be rain. She was crying. A mixture of betrayal, of loss, of uncertainty ran through her and shook the foundations that she'd built her life on. She'd placed so much trust in Ozpin, yet did not know him at all. She's thought she'd known Qrow, but to hear that Ozpin had done something to him and Raven meant that he too had kept things from her. Important things.

Nyx had always known that there were things that she didn't know, she had never objected to being in the dark about the secret goings on of headmasters and councils and armies. She didn't care about that. The first part of the evenings revelations, where she'd discovered the world was not the world she thought she'd lived in, that part? She could handle - or so she told herself. But if Qrow had objectively lied to her, no.

No. She couldn't let herself think about it. She wouldn't.

She leant heavily on the wooden bannister, the one thing that was currently stopping her from tumbling off the mountain side and into the depth of the valley below, and felt it creak beneath her weight. A sob let itself out of her mouth, and she clamped a hand over her mouth, stifling it, and sank slowly to the ground. Her legs crumbled beneath her, falling sideways, as the barrels of emotion she'd tried to keep locked up all flooded out of her, falling as fast as raindrops out past her eyelashes. In this moment, Nyx didn't care who saw her, or who did what to her. She just needed to cry out her frustration, her anger, her betrayal. She needed to stop swallowing down the emotions that she'd forced back for so many years.

* * *

The morning came and most of Team RWBY sat outside, cradling mugs of coffee and watching the early morning sun lifting itself up into the sky. A strange sense filled all three of them, a slight emptiness at the gap next to Yang which ought to have been filled by Blake. Something needed said, yet none of them could find the words for the first few moments. Then Ruby spoke, and the three of them let sadness fill the hole left by Blake. Sadness, and anger.

* * *

Whilst Ruby, Weiss and Yang grappled with themselves over the betrayal of Blake's absence, Qrow looked for huntsmen and huntresses, as well as anyone Qrow might be able to pay to aid him. As the day spread on, he was growing increasingly frustrating at the growing number of people crossed off his list, and the dwindling number yet to be found. There was only one name on the list he knew was in town, though after last night, Qrow wasn't sure if she would help him or not. He wasn't sure if he wanted her to help him.

She was also the one person he didn't know how to find, if she didn't want found.

The day proved thoroughly unsuccessful, and Qrow gained only a certainty that someone was taking out each and every huntsman and huntress one by one. It was pure luck that Artemis Nyx hadn't yet been killed, luck or she had noticed that huntsmen were vanishing, and had taken it upon herself to disappear before she could be forced to.

Qrow returned to the first place he'd looked, a bar in the lower parts of the mountain, and paid the outstanding bill, his heart weighed down with a dread of fear at what had happened to his friend. Qrow left the bar without a word more, and leant against the outer wall, looking at the list of names. Something was very wrong, they shouldn't all be missing, they shouldn't all be away on missions. Someone had taken great care to leave Haven Academy open for an attack.

He needed to get to Nyx. She was the only one left who could pose a threat to any attack on Haven Academy, aside from himself, and having just found her once more, he wasn't prepared to watch her vanish without a trace.

After all, he thought to himself with a sinking of his gut, that's what he did.

* * *

Qrow wandered back towards the apartments, keeping half an eye out for the familiar brush of black hair, the slightly disjointed gait of one used to being silent. He knew he'd find no other huntresses in the surrounding part of the kingdom, never mind in the city itself, but he needed to know she was safe. Qrow stalked along the streets, loping rather than walking, and reach halfway to the level their apartment was on before he noticed a strange shaded patch in front of him. It seemed to quiver, as though inhaling and exhaling, rather than cast by something that might sway in a breeze. It splayed in an odd shape, not tapering towards that which might cause it, but simply landing on the ground as though it had been dropped from a great height. Now that he looked at it, he couldn't see anything that might have cast it, and slowed his pace as he got to it. He paused, standing next to the shadow, and reached out a hand.

It landed on her shoulder. Nyx closed her eyes, and let her safety blanket of shadows slip away.

"Please." Her voice came out hoarse, weak. It strained at the single word. "Don't touch me."

Qrow withdrew his hand, looking at it with a furrowed brow, as though he had brunt it, but couldn't puzzle out how. Nyx stood, but did not raise her gaze, refusing to look at Qrow. He shoved his hands back into his pockets, back into their usual position, and let his shoulders fall forward into his usual casual slouch.

"They're all gone," He said finally, breaking the uneasy silence that passed between them. "One or two I could understand, but all of them?"

"I could have told you that," Nyx said with a sudden sharpness, yet she still did not look up. "But I guess we don't do that these days. Telling each other stuff, I mean." With that she finally met Qrow's gaze. Her eyes were still puffy from the crying, even though it had been hours earlier. Her face, streaked with tears, was darkened with a hurt Qrow could not begin to apologise for. He had no response for her, no apology, no explanation. Only a silence that wounded Nyx further.

"We could have helped - we would have helped, all of us, I know it. If you'd just let us - how could you be so selfish, Qrow?" Now the anger was beginning to brew into her words, raising her tone and pitch as one. Nyx simply looked at Qrow with a fury she couldn't quench. "We - I - could have, no, _would have_ stood with you to the end. Whatever that meant." She drew in a shaky breath, shut her eyes, and fought back the tide of emotion that drove her to want to slap Qrow in the face. "And I still will. Qrow, I'll fight for you almost as much as I'll fight with you."

"I wouldn't never ask - "

"I know. But I'll do it anyway," Nyx crossed her arms. "You can't leave me in the dust every time things get bad. And it sounds like you're going to need all the help you can get soon enough."


	3. Chapter 3

The following day passed in a haze of preparation and honing of skills.

Nyx had not returned to her own home, but instead decided to stay in the apartment with the students. There she sparred with Oscar, giving him feedback from an external view, as well as Ozpin's advice from within. Her advice was not that of a trained teacher, but more clipped and instinctive. With each successful move, Nyx grunted out a low "good", bombarding the poor boy with an endless stream of monosyllabic words.

Her coarseness amused Ozpin, who chuckled inside Oscar's head a few times, never clarifying why, until Nyx swiped a smear of sweat off her forehead. She huffed out a heavy breath, more worry than exhaustion, and looked Oscar in the eyes.

"Kid, I doubt you'll take this advice, but if we get into a scrap… just run," she said, her age dropping quickly. She straightened her spine and separated out her weapon, splitting it back down into two long daggers back into their sheaths. She paused before retreating up the steps, the silence of the room drowned out by Oscar's panting. "It's not that you're a bad fighter - you're not. At all." Nyx breathed out another world weary sigh.

"Then why?" Oscar demanded of her, startling himself with the strength in his voice. "Why do I have to be the one to run whilst the others fight?"

Nyx's hand faltered on the bannister, her index finger tapping out a disjointed rhythm on the wood. She did not turn back to face Oscar, leaving his demand to fall to her back.

"I wish you'd all run."

* * *

When plans changed, Ozpin was the only one who was not surprised. Qrow still wanted to cling on to some semblance of trust in Lionheart, but his instincts told him this was way off. It was too different from the original plan, too unexpectedly helpful.

Ozpin, Qrow and Nyx all sat in the lounge, feeling this course of action to be the wrong one, yet uncertain of how to handle it otherwise. The silence that fell over them was heavy, weighty within the air and tangible. Nyx could feel it tangling its way down her throat and choking her words, preventing them from emerging in a coherent manner.

"They're just kids, Oz," she finally managed to choke out. "I mean, the oldest is what? 17? 18? And we're asking them to…" Nyx couldn't finish the thought, instead turning away and burying her face in her hand. The room seemed to have got colder as they had talked, or maybe her faith in humanity simply burned a little less brightly, and Nyx shivered. Qrow didn't look impressed with the turn of events, yet countered Nyx's half-aired objection.

"They're stronger than you'd think," he said, punctuating his comment with a swig from his flask. Nyx's hand shot out and grabbed Qrow by the wrist, forcing the flask back down. Her eyes flashed dangerously when she lifted her head once more.

"Strong or no, they're still just children." She glared at the flask she had pinned to Qrow's leg. "And, perhaps, if we're going to be fighting Leo tonight, you should give the liquor a break." Qrow met her gaze evenly, and peeling her hand off his wrist, purposefully taking another, drawn out, drink.

"I could kill you."

"Nope."

Oz looked at the two huntsmen, bickering like children, and despite himself struggled to suppress a small smile. Despite the situation, Qrow and Nyx still continued to act like themselves, still had the energy to maintain a small amount of teasing, not yet crushed by their impending task. It was moments like these, where, even in the midst of darkness, two people let something spark between them, that Ozpin's faith in humanity rested.

_Are they dating?_ Oscar asked, his question unheard by the two in question. Ozpin looked at the two, Qrow smiling despite himself, and Nyx playfully rolling her eyes, and answered back silently:

_One would forgive you for thinking so_.

Aloud he said:

"While I would not say our current predicament is ideal, I think we could all agree, the situation could be much worse. Humanity is a resilient force, but -"

"Pro-huntsmen don't just all bite it at once," Qrow remarked dryly. Nyx bit her tongue, yet still couldn't hold back her muttered retort.

"So we're sending children to fill their places." She stood up, leaving the now empty mug on the arm of the couch. "Speaking of, Ruby is at the door. When you've decided what we're doing, come get me. I cannot condone any of the options at this point, but I'm not going to let them go unguarded."

* * *

Nyx sat on the railing of the balcony, facing out into the night, and let the cooling air wash over her. She could taste the pollen from the flowering trees as it brushed through the wind, caught on the tide of the wind. It was bittersweet, exploding with life and possibility, but with the bitter aftertaste any powder left. It congealed in her mouth, filling it with an impossible to swallow cement with Nyx simply let sit. She let it fester and become so much worse as she inhaled more pollen and added over and over to the growing cement cast of her mouth.

She reached for the mug she had left balancing on the railing, her mind still lost in the mountains before her. It was closer than she had realised, and her fingertips brushed the handle, sending the cup in a dizzying twirl. Nyx's head shot around too slowly, too late, only just managing to catch sight of the mug as it tipped over the edge. The hot tea poured out of the mug, spinning out into a double helix, a DNA strand tumbling endlessly downwards into the dark. Nyx lost sight of the mug before it collided with the heavy rock of the mountains, yet the darkness carried the sound of shattering ceramic up to her. Nyx winced. It was deafening in the still night.

"You don't have to come with us."

Nyx leapt up at the voice, flinging herself over the barrier and landing in a fighting stance. But it was only Ruby. The young girl stood, silhouetted by the light spilling out of the lounge, her hands folded behind her back.

"Ruby," Nyx began, an apologetic edge creeping into her tone, but Ruby continued unhindered.

"We don't want to make anyone fight who doesn't want to." Ruby moved closer as she spoke, unfolding her hands from behind her back. Nyx's face had softened into slight frown, her eyes thrown into a dark shadow.

"I was always going to fight this particular fight," Nyx said, lowering herself on to the ground, and letting out a heavy sigh. "I just don't agree with Ozpin using children as his pawns. Which, ironically, is one of the two main reasons why I'm coming."

Ruby came and sat down alongside her, the flowing cape of her red hood forming a cushion underneath her. The two of huntresses leant against the wooden railing, the wind blowing against their backs and giving the sense of the world buoying them up, holding them on the balcony so that they could never fall. Yet, despite this support, the dark had settled on their shoulders, forcing their backs to curve as the next day filled them with dread.

"What's the other reason?"

"Huh?"

Ruby looked across at Nyx, the question filling her large eyes, which glinted back the reflection of the moon, a silvery pool of curiosity.

"You said there was two main reasons why you were coming tomorrow?"

"Oh." Nyx didn't meet Ruby's questioning gaze, but instead looked inside at the group, sat huddled around on the couches. The light surrounded them with a warm haze - the haze of a group sat around a camp fire, comforted by each other's company.

"Same as you," she finally answered, her eyes falling on the harsh outline of Qrow. "I protect the people I love."

_And I'm sick of watching my friends die because of Oz_. Nyx thought grimly, before abruptly shaking her head, clearing it of any blame for a moment, yet when she looked back into the room, a shadow seemed to hang on Oz that wasn't there a moment ago.

* * *

Ruby sat out with Nyx for a few more moments, not in the mood to revel with the others. Her absence drew Qrow out to check on her. He paused for a moment, seeing Nyx sat next to his niece, and internally debated swinging a hard right and finding some whisky instead. But then Ruby threw back her head, laughing freely and Nyx pushed her over. Whatever had drawn the two of them out to the balcony had clearly passed, and he felt less intrusive.

He drew back the door to the balcony, and Ruby tried to stifle her giggles, instead snorting out a laugh that sent both of them roaring into fits of laughter once more.

"What's so funny?" Qrow asked, forcing a dryness into his voice. His attempts to be stern, disapproving and maintain a position as a Real AdultTM failed miserably as Ruby merely burst out laughing, clutching at her stomach. The stitch spread through her side as she tried to get up, and inside rolled sideways.

"Just telling Ruby about the time Tai got you to wear my skirt to lectures," Nyx grinned. "It was a great look." Her eyes sparkled with a mischief that made Qrow huff in an attempt to hide his entertainment. Nyx stood up and poked his cheeks, forcing his mouth into a caricature of a smile. "This is what people do with their faces when they find things funny," she said, making a mockery of a condescending remark. Qrow swatted her hands away, but a slight hint of a smile remained.

Ruby's eyes darted between the two adults and started to edge her way inside, making excuses of leaving the two of them alone, she really ought to get back to her team, can't stay out here all night - bye!

Qrow and Nyx were alone. Genuinely, and entirely alone, not together in some public space, not babysat by Oz, and not able to find an excuse to leave.

Qrow leant against the railing, his elbows digging into the wood, and hands dangling off the precipice towards the void below them. Nyx lingered behind him, and leant back against the wall, her arms crossed defensively over her chest. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she realised they had switched. They were mimicking the other's usual pose, unconsciously attempting to project the apparent confidence of the other.

"You did look good in the skirt," Nyx attempted, stabbing through the uneasy silence with an attempt at humour. "I mean, I remember your legs being talked about for the rest of the semester. Some people were practically drooling over them - Aimee…" Nyx abruptly trailed off. Her train of thought threw itself from the rails, and tumbled downwards.

"Aimee?" Qrow raised an eyebrow. "Don't believe that for a second."

Nyx looked back up at him, and grinned.

"You didn't share a dorm room with her," Nyx countered, grinning. "She drooled."

"-No,"

"_Drooled."_

The laugh came from Qrow's lips before he could stop himself. Nyx's grin switched to something softer, more genuine.

"I cannot imagine our Lioness drooling over anything," Qrow mused, entertained. "Next you'll tell me that Lily had a thing for Tai."

Nyx pushed herself off the wall, and unfurled her arms, leaning against the railing as well. She stood so close to Qrow that their shoulders were almost touching.

"No," she retorted with a laugh. "Raven was always much more her style. Mysterious, aloof, unobtainable… and cold-hearted." She glanced up sideways, and muttered an apology, realising a fraction of a second too late that she probably shouldn't insult Raven to her brother. But Qrow didn't fight the comment. He simply moved his left elbow, swinging his arm out at a different angle, and entwined a single finger with Nyx's own.  
Nyx's heart stopped for a moment, and then restarted at a rhythm that was fractionally faster, but more hopeful. They fell silent for a moment, hands linked, then Nyx rested her head on Qrow's shoulder.

"I miss them so much." She spoke with a difficulty that surprised her. Qrow paused, not expecting the sudden lurch down memory lane.

"Yeah. Me too."


	4. Chapter 4

The morning of the fight dawned. It was unexpectedly bright and warm for the time of year, spilling light through the gaps in the curtains as they blew in the slight breeze. It seemed as though the building was breathing, and with each exhale, the curtains was ruffle themselves, like fine curls of hair, buoyed up on a lover's breath.

The light tickled at Qrow's nose, lighting it up briefly, then ebbing away. It was not bright enough to wake him, and he lay in the bed, tangled in sleep, like an exhausted child. His hair had fallen over his eyes in the night, feathery light and shielding him from the world. Whilst facing it head on, his face turned towards the window, arrogant even in sleep, the curtain of hair protected him.

He lay sprawled, one arm tucked under his head, one stretched out towards the window, his legs tangled up in the white sheets. He looked as though he had fallen asleep mid fight, cut down whilst protecting the rest of the household he'd taken under his wing.

What finally triggered Qrow's ascent into the land of the waking was the slight clatter of noise coming from the room below him.

The muffled sound of metal on metal startled him awake. Immediately burst back into full wakefulness, Qrow grabbed Harbringer and threw himself out of bed, not pausing for even a second. Perhaps if he had, he would have realised that the sounds he was hearing was not a fight, but the sound of someone making a cooked breakfast for a modest number of hunters.

He had made it half way down the stairs, wielding Harbringer in sword form out in front of him when he realised the fight he thought he'd heard had a backing track. And someone was humming along quietly. The sound caused him to falter, one foot still aloft, half-way to the step below. Qrow sheathed Harbringer and continued the rest of the way down the stairs silently, his bare feet not making a sound.

Nyx danced about the kitchen, darting between two pots that needed continual stirring, and the bacon that lay sizzling on the grill. She twisted around flamboyantly, singing lowly under her breath and flicked the kettle on, before wheeling back to both pans and stirring each with a wooden spoon. She swayed softly from side to side, eyes closed in simple enjoyment, as she stirred the pots, hands moving in opposite directions. The harsh sizzle of bacon caused her eyes to fly open, and Nyx let her hands drop, grabbing the tongs from the work top beside her. She deftly flipped the bacon over, and breathed out the last few bars of the song, before swirling around. As she turned, her dark hair whipped her in the eye, having been allowed up in its lethal ponytail. Her wince was short lived as she realised Qrow was watching her. It melted away, and instead her face lit up with a warm smile.

"Coffee's in the pot, if you want. Thought I'd make everyone some breakfast."

Qrow did not reach for the coffee, instead brushing the sleep, and hair, out of his eyes. His hand moved towards the pocket where he kept his flask, but Nyx caught the movement and flung the tea towel in his direction.

"Non-fermented fruit juice this morning, please," she demanded, looking at him sternly. Qrow held up his hands in a mock defeat, but did not reach for the flask a second time. He moved over towards the coffee pot and poured himself a cup. Nyx grabbed a second from the cupboard and thrust it towards him, letting it spin over the worktop. Qrow resisted the urge to make a comment on her expectation that he'd catch it, or one on her wordless demand for coffee.

"I don't think the kids will be up anytime soon," he grumbled instead, leaning back on the counter, elbow resting behind him. Nyx glanced over her shoulder and grinned.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that if I were you," she said knowingly, beaming broadly. Refusing to elaborate on her vague comment, she placed lids on both pans, turning the gas off. Having set them out on a side table in the dining room, ladles placed ready beside them, she then dished up the various foods cooking on the grill, in the oven and in a frying pan. They also found a home, laid out besides some cold food. Croissants and other pastries, yoghurts and fruits, cereal and breads decorated the far end of the table.

"How did you manage to keep track of all of this at the same time?" Qrow asked, genuinely impressed. "At the Academy you were always the one to burn something. Remember that time you set fire to some rice?"

Nyx laughed lightly, picking the plate of bacon back up.

"I guess we'll all have changed a bit over the years," she dismissed, heading towards the stairs. Qrow shrugged off the comment and followed her towards the bedrooms.

"I haven't."

"You've changed the most."

* * *

Nyx wandered along the long corridor, moving to the far end before she started opening doors near silently, just enough for them to come off the latch. As she let the air into the rooms, the scent of bacon wafted through the corridor, breezing into the rooms lightly. She did this with every door, and before she'd even reached halfway down the corridor, she and Qrow heard the triumphant noise of Nora.

"I smell BACON!"

Nyx beamed broadly.

"And that's how you get teenagers out of bed," she boasted, holding the plate above her head, her prized trophy. Qrow merely shook his head, torn between amusement and disbelief.

* * *

They all sat around the table, quieter than usual, their mouths stuffed with food. Nyx had demanded they eat to their heart's content, and then eat some more, which all of the children were taking to be an unbreakable law. Only Qrow and Nyx didn't sit. Nyx chose instead to busy herself by washing dishes, and clearing things away as quickly as possible. Upon running out of things to tidy, she leant against the wall, holding a bowl of pomegranate seeds and picking at it intermittently. Qrow skulked in the corner with his coffee, watching over the children like a mama hen, until Nyx raised an eyebrow at him, nodding to the food.

"When I said, we all need our energy. I meant it. Even moody, powerful huntsmen need to eat," She scolded, moving closer to him. "Or do I need to feed you?"

"Don't you dare." Qrow narrowed his eyes at his school friend, but she met his gaze evenly, and snatched up a slice of toast from the side table. Making cartoonishly bad engine noises, she made the toast dive and twist in the air, heading towards Qrow.

"Here comes the airship! Now open - ahhhhh," She teased, grinning madly all the time. Qrow pouted slightly, rolled his eyes, but then humoured her and opened his mouth. Nyx fed him the slice of toast, and cackled slightly manically. Qrow chewed reluctantly, but couldn't stop the smile that was forming.

* * *

After breakfast, they all drifted apart, not quite sure how to fill the rest of the day. Breakfast had eaten up much of the morning, but they weren't be meeting Lionheart until well after sunset. The children were restless, Oz had relinquished control of Oscar and Nyx and Qrow were simply worried. Qrow didn't feel like leaving the house, yet staying still made him itch for Harbringer. There was a tension in the air which made him want to start swinging his scythe. But there was nothing here to fight.

"If you want to do something, grab a pot and start drying it." Nyx had offered. Unsurprisingly, Qrow had politely declined by turning into a crow and flying out of the window.

* * *

The flight let him survey the school, inspect anyone entering or leaving the building.

It was unnecessary. Nothing stirred around the majestic buildings, there was barely even a breath of wind to disturb the leaves on the trees. But the flight helped to clear his head, to release the iron grasp of worry that clamped itself around his throat. Lost in the emptiness of his own mind, Qrow dove and swirled about in the sky. He hadn't had this much entertainment out of flying since Ozpin first gifted him with this ability. He simply played in the sky, dancing on the air currents and enjoying the ruffling of the wind through his feathers, the fresh crispness that filled his lungs.

He stayed out for hours, watching the sun lower itself behind the mountains, though the light still filled the sky. It felt like the sun would never set, like the battle would never come.

Yet come it did.


	5. Chapter 5

Nyx did not travel with the group, striding purposefully through the campus in a V formation, but instead chose to use her semblance to sneak through the shadows, lurking unseen. She crouched in the shadows of the stairwell, watching Qrow's entrance. If one didn't know Qrow well, they might have mistaken his slouched saunter as an indication of ignorance. But Nyx knew better and Qrow's tension was screaming for a fight.  
His hands hung loose, not tucked in his pockets as usual, gaze levelly holding Lionheart's. Qrow had not missed the shield strapped to Lionheart's wrist, even as Lionheart tried to shield it with his body, tucking his arm behind him.

"There seems to be more of you this time," Lionheart chuckled, his attempts to be light disconcerting himself, but only confirming the suspicions of all present. Lionheart was hiding something, and it was all going to come out tonight.

"Well, you know what they say. The more the merrier," Qrow said, leaning towards Lionheart. He cut straight to the point, "Now what's going on with the council?"

* * *

As they exchanged their pretence at civility, Nyx jumped from shadow to shadow, having melted into them and becoming shapeless, depthless, invisible to anyone. She scanned the room for hiding spots that might contain Cinder or any other of Salem's servants. For the most part, she could see none, but the room was brightly lit and so Nyx had many blindspots. It was a pure fluke that she happened to notice Raven perched on the banister. Nyx was just making her way to Qrow's shadow to warn him when Yang's voice rang out, cutting across her uncle.

"Mom?"

The single word was filled with confusion and hurt, yet not surprise. Yang merely watched, her hands unfurled at her side, as her mother flapped her wings and leapt into flight. Nora and Ren took half a step back in surprise as Raven emerged from behind Lionheart, timing her transformation perfectly. When she turned to face the group, she was met with Harbringer outstretched as a sword. Raven removed her mask, bracing it against her hip and shook out the feathery hair that tumbled down her back. Her gaze followed Qrow's weapon up to its handle, and finally met her brother's gaze. She lifted her chin slightly, and dared him to move, her red eyes demanding a challenge words could not never do the justice of expressing.

"If you're going to shoot me, shoot me," she taunted, the single cocked hip hiding the length of her weapon from view, not that anyone doubted its presence. "That was insulting."

"What are you doing here?" Qrow demanded, all the hurt that was absent from Yang's voice flooding into his. He spoke with a deep growl, still holding Harbringer out in front of him as Raven sauntered down the stairs. The Branwen arrogance was as evident in her walk as it was in Qrow's, yet Raven's seemed more genuine. There was a devil-may-care attitude in her returning question, a nonchalance that seemed to suggest that she actually believed the lies she told herself.

"I might ask you the same thing. You've been scheming, little brother, planning to kill your own sister."

They spoke as if this was merely a disagreement between brother and sister, not two powerful, skilled, trained killers picking sides in a battle which would surely rip apart the world we knew. Raven spoke with such a controlled calmness, a perfect counter to Qrow's rage and betrayal, but also to Lionheart's cowardice above. Where Lionheart stammered out the beginnings of an apology, Raven spoke over him. It was a deadly calm. Qrow was even lulled into sheathing Harbringer once more, but as he did so, Yang moved into a wider stance. Even if Qrow was prepared to trust his own sister, Yang did not trust her mother not to slaughter them all.

* * *

Nyx watched Ruby plead with Raven, saw the young dark haired girl before her, yet heard her speak with her mother's voice. The extended hand, the immediate clemency, all Ruby needed was to don a white hood and she would be the perfect picture of Summer. Nyx's heart clenched, memories threatening to throw her from the safety of the shadows and go stand with her friend's daughter. And then Raven sneered.

"You sound just like your mother."

Raven tried to pretend it was an insult, and it almost worked. But Qrow could see that even his heartless sister had felt, just for a moment, a flicker of self-doubt. The seed had been planted, Ruby's point had been made, yet Raven was too headstrong to let it over take her, and drew her sword. It whistled as it swung through the air, cleaving the very reality in front of them, and opening a hole into the void.

Out of the terrible darkness, forged by a glowing red swirling, pulsating light, shot a ball of flames. It hit Ruby square in the chest and flung her across the room.

"Hello boys and girls," Cinder drawled, strolling out in front. Her arrogance burned.

Qrow's betrayal only deepened as Cinder mocked Lionheart for his weakness, for his betrayal of Ozpin. It was stabbing through him, eating him alive. He had known that Leo was probably a traitor, but hearing Cinder brag about it aloud cracked something inside him. The huntsmen and women that had died, that had mysteriously vanished into nothingness had been hunted down and slain because Leo had fed Salem information.

* * *

Nyx felt the crack of betrayal too, but this was much more personal. Whilst she did not know Lionheart, she knew the people he'd let die. They were her friends. Some even close enough to be called family, and he had let them die because of his cowardice.

She couldn't sit crouched, stationary, useless, for a moment longer.

Nyx drew her knives and flung herself forwards, screaming out her anguish in the same moment. As she moved, all drew their weapons, Jaune quivering with anger.

Nyx slashed once at Cinder, but she was not aiming for the Fall Maiden. Her knife caught Cinder's arm, but Nyx didn't linger to fight her. Leaping up on to the statue, Nyx flung herself towards Lionheart, black daggers glinting in the torch light. She collided with his shield with a metallic ring that echoed around the hall. Lionheart threw her backwards and she twisted in mid air, landing lightly on her feet before throwing herself right back at him, moving too quickly for him to see, nothing more than a blur of shadow.

* * *

Below, Qrow parried his sister's attack, Harbringer easily catching her red blade. Raven did not need to land a hit to wound him, and simply continued talking to him, diminishing any resemblance of family loyalty by the syllable. Qrow's eyes grew wider, until he pulled back and came at her again with another attack.

* * *

Ruby and Emerald where entangled in their brawl, Emerald fighting to protect the one person she'd managed to find faith in, to rely on, Ruby fighting to protect all the people she cared about, to get back Emerald and help Jaune. Ruby couldn't let more people get hurt, she wouldn't watch her friend's suffer without doing something to help them. Ruby was an intimidating force with Crescent Rose, but Emerald had far more experience than her, and this was showing. RUby could barely land a hit, struggling to get off the back foot.

* * *

Oscar slowly moved up the stairs, walking past Hazel and instead moving towards the fight occurring on the balcony. He reached behind his back and wrapped a hand around his cane, preparing to attack. But Nyx moved too quickly for Oscar to keep track of, and was driving him all across the balcony, it was impossible to keep track of, and Oscar didn't stand a chance with them moving that fast.

Then Cinder threw her spear, piercing through Weiss' gut and leaving her kneeling helplessly, looking at the fiery rod that burned through her.

Everyone paused, looking towards the young girl, dying in the corner. Silence fell. Grief overwhelming the room.

Oscar swung the cane and slammed it into the side of Lionheart's head, sending him flying down the steps. In the silence of the moment, Oscar could hear his bones crunch.

* * *

The next thing Nyx knew, the vault was open, Hazel was fighting Qrow and Jaune, Ren and Nora cradled Weiss. She stood up shakily, blurring herself back into the shadows for a moment, trying to pull herself back together. As she stood there, she threw half of her mind to shielding Weiss from view, cradling them in a shadow. Lionheart glanced around the room, and then darted up the stairs, running towards his office. Nyx's gaze trailed after him, and she stepped out of the shadows. Pinning her shoulders back, Nyx jerked her knives to their full length and stalked after him.

"The coward running away again?" She called, her voice venom. "You going to send out a bunch of toddlers to defend you?"

Lionheart did not turn, did not rise to the challenge, but he did stop. His back straightened, and head shot up. Terror motivated him, that much was clear.

"You are so much worse than Cinder," Nyx continued, edging her way towards Lionheart, her knives twitching in her hands. "At least she admits to being a murderer. You hide behind others, and let children and _my_ friends die in your stead." Nyx's voice lowered into a growl, emotion blocking off her throat. She lifted her knife and threw herself forwards, swinging at Lionheart. He turned only just in time to block the blow. His shield caught the blow, but he crumbled beneath it. Nyx's leg shot out and she kicked him hard in the stomach, sending him backwards into his own desk. He furled over it, and looked past Nyx's shoulder in terror.

"Salem," he breathed, looking at the Grimm that hovered behind her. "She'll kill me!" Nyx pinned Lionheart down then looked behind her at the hovering eye and its tendrils trailing on the ground.

"Salem can control that thing? Well if she's watching, she can fucking get in line," Nyx growled, turning back to face Lionheart. Then, with a coldness that she didn't know she possessed, Nyx threw Lionheart to the side. As he moved to run past her, she slashed, cutting him straight across the neck. Blood spurted out of his artery as she ripped it open with her knife, landing on her face and clothes. Nyx didn't even bother to wipe it off as she stabbed him in the gut, landing a double blow to make sure he didn't somehow escape death.

Not allowing herself to think for a moment, Nyx spun around and pinned the Grimm to the wall, stabbing a knife through its eye.

"Salem, I fucking hope you can hear me. Because I will come for you, I will work out how to defeat you, and I will rip you open as well."

"You've saved me a job, girl. But don't think killing a coward equates to being able to defeat me." Salem's voice floated out of the eye, startling Nyx. She took half a step back before stabbing the eye once more and allowing it to turn back to dust.

* * *

When Nyx reemerged from the school Hazel, Emerald and Mercury had vanished into the night, and Yang held the relic.

Nyx faltered in the doorway, looking at the small groups of fighters, wearied but alive. They were such complete units, formed of people who knew each other, and knew each other well, that she felt like such an intruder. No one had noticed her, not even Qrow, and by the gods she was so tired. She leant against the wall, sudden exhaustion over coming her. She let her mind relax, the slight haze that she'd been forcing to cover Jaune, Weiss and Qrow fading, allowing them back into full focus. Her vision blurred around the edges, and she took one final glance around the room, before melting into shadows and disappearing into the night.


	6. Chapter 6

Nyx had barely managed to make it back to the apartments. She'd been using her semblance consistently all night, along with her fighting, and her aura had run low. So low that she hadn't been able to use it to make her escape home, instead having to rely on the other's lack of observation skills. Feeling the weight of her limbs drag, the toes of her boots scuffed the floor a handful of times, her legs no longer cooperating with her.

It was no wonder that when she managed to fight her way past the lock, she immediately collapsed on to the couch, falling into a deep slumber.

* * *

The others took a little longer to return, but everyone was just as tired. Qrow's stoop was a little lower than usual, Blake and Yang leaning on each other for support as Jaune fumbled with the lock. All any of them could think of was getting to bed and getting some decent sleep, and so a hush had fallen over them, speaking too much effort.

The darkness of the light felt as though it was lifting somehow, the world feeling lighter, less intimidating since Yang had emerged wielding the relic. Even with all their tiredness, they felt better, more hopeful. Gaining a win was more necessary than they realised, maybe not for the saving of the world, but for their own sanity. The impossible nature of their mission had been starting to get to all of them, Ruby included, and walking home, relic in hand, Cinder presumed dead, made the spark of hope in all of them burn just a little brighter.

* * *

Qrow had taken one look at the woman on the couch, passed out from exhaustion, still coated in Leo's blood, and sent all of the children to bed. He stood in their way of the lounge, and pointed up the stairs, commenting that they all needed their sleep.

No one objected.

Now, Qrow wordlessly filled a bowl with lukewarm water, sourced a cloth and knelt before Nyx. She didn't stir as he slowly, gently wiped the blood from her face. It was such a tender moment, or would have been, if Qrow hadn't been muttering under his breath as he cleaned Nyx's face.

"Idiot. You always do this, and you always end up like this. I don't need your protection," he grumbled, the words barely audible. He'd thought he'd spoken in a low enough tone, a low enough volume, to not wake her. Yet, wake she did.

"Wasn't you this time," Nyx managed to croak out, her eyes resisting her attempts to open them. "The Schnee girl. Couldn't leave her unshielded," she winced suddenly, hissing out her breath as a sharp pain shot through her side. Qrow's face widened, his eyes flying wide open, trying to see where she was hurt. Nyx whacked him on the shoulder, demanding he stopped looking at her like she was about to break and levered herself upright. Leaning heavily against the arm of the couch, she breathed in a slow, deep breath. Qrow remained kneeling at the side of the couch, drawing about level with her shoulder, watching her closely.

Nyx couldn't meet his gaze.

* * *

"You should get some sleep," Qrow said, shoving his own hair back off his face. He stood, shoving his hands deep into his pockets. "It's been a long day."

"I'm sure I'll fall asleep as soon as you've gone," Nyx responded with a yawn. A hand covered her face, brushing over her eye and swiping the slight dampness from her forehead. Qrow paused at the doorway, having started to head towards his own bed.

"You're not sleeping on that."

"All the beds are taken. It's fine, Qrow."

Qrow paused. Then turned on his heel abruptly and strode towards her. His hands came out of his pockets swiftly and he snatched Nyx up into a fireman's lift, knocking the air out of her. Nyx didn't even attempt to resist, merely let herself drape over Qrow's shoulder.

"You reek," she commented, folding her arms grouchily against Qrow's back, feeling his muscles move underneath her as he held her in place.

"You don't smell all that pleasant yourself," he drawled in response. Nyx merely huffed at his back, unimpressed. Under the cover of darkness, Qrow allowed himself a small smile.

* * *

Qrow woke first.

None of the others were even remotely awake, and Nyx was no exception. She'd refused to take Qrow's bed from him, advocating the idea that if the couch wasn't good enough for her, then he wasn't allowed to sleep on it either, so they'd made do sharing his bed. It wasn't exactly short of room, being a king-sized mattress, and so they'd shoved the spare pillows between them, before curling up facing opposite directions.

Come morning, the pillows had migrated to the room and Nyx's head was resting on Qrow's shoulder. His arm draped over her waist, face tilted towards hers, he didn't want to move for fear of disturbing her.

So he simply lay there, half snoozing, letting himself recover fully, and half watching Nyx's relaxed rhythm of breaths. Her hair had fallen over her face, let loose out of its usual bun, and fluttered with every exhale, before settling back down against. Occasionally, the hair would lift high enough for it to tickle his bare chest and he'd resist the urge to readjust his position. Qrow felt like he ought to move away, ought to pull himself back to his side of the bed, put the distance back between them, but instead he simply shut his eyes, and let himself enjoy the closeness of another human being.

* * *

Nyx's eyes fluttered open, eyelashes catching on something close to her face. It was so nice, so warm, she felt the drug of sleep haze her mind and make lifting her eyelids so hard. So she didn't. Instead she let the rocking motion of her head, rising and falling like a boat out at sea riding the waves, lull her back to sleep.

She fell asleep with a smile on her face, and in the limbo between wakefulness and sleep nuzzled in closer to Qrow.

He instinctively wrapped his arms closer around her.


	7. Chapter 7

Nyx sat downstairs, where she had sparred with Oscar only the day before, her legs folded underneath her. Lifting her arms up towards the ceiling, she let out a groan and let her back crack, releasing some of the tension in it. She twisted around side to side, moving slowly, carefully, the silver details on her corset catching the light and shining brightly in the dimly lit room.

Having entirely drained her aura the day before was reaping its punishment, and by the gods did she hurt. It wasn't often that she was careless enough to let herself run completely dry, but she just couldn't help herself the night before. The pain stretched through her back and sent sharp pangs into her heart, even just the thought of having done nothing to protect those children sending washes of guilt through her. Nyx closed her eyes and breathed in a deep breath, letting the air brush away the cobwebs of her past, the injured nerves fluttering and reaching out to each other, a fraction of a millimetre closer to healing.

A cough sent her eyelids wide open.

Nyx stayed in her stretch as Jaune lingered on the stairs, merely raising an eyebrow at him in response.

"We've made lunch. If you want some," he offered, gesturing up the stairs behind him. Nyx nodded tightly, her face tauter than usual as she forced herself to expend yet more of her aura. A small bead of sweat dripped on to her eyelash with the effort.

"Cheers kid," she managed, releasing herself and pinging back into shape like a coiled spring, desperate to reclaim the comfort of its usual shape.

Yet Jaune didn't leave. He lingered uncertainly, a question forming in his mind. He wasn't quite Ruby, he didn't have the courage to just come out with whatever sprung to mind, and so he tried to force himself to turn, to leave her, but he couldn't quite.

"If you don't mind me asking," he began, stepping fully into the room. "Are you alright?"

Nyx laughed lowly, bitterly. It was a laugh that sounded strange coming from her lips, too harsh compared to her usual lighthearted nature.

"Just an old injury," she shrugged, flopping back on to the floor. Jaune continued to look at her with that concerned, inquisitive face, and so she relinquished a little more. "I damaged my spine in a Grimm attack and it never quite healed. So at least half my aura is always focused on holding nerves together, but I don't have enough to make it a permanent hold."

Jaune didn't speak but simply moved forwards and placed a hand on her shoulder, a white glow spreading through his hand to Nyx's frame.

Nyx sat up and tried to lift Jaune's hand from her shoulder, protesting that he must be tired from yesterday, that he shouldn't strain himself. But it was useless. She was too tired to fight him, and he was determined to try. So Nyx closed her eyes and focused everything she had on knitting herself back together.

* * *

As she did, Qrow sat upstairs, reluctantly making a coffee. He resented not taking a drink that was somewhat stronger, but in a house with Ozpin, Ruby, Yang and now Nyx giving him disapproving looks, it was easier to just accept defeat and suffer with caffeine only. He stirred the coffee, the spoon clicking on the ceramic mug softly in the quiet room. It wouldn't be quiet for long, not with the smell of hot noodles filling the air. In a few moments, the horde of hungry children would descend and start chattering away, shovelling food in their mouths in the breaks in their conversation.

Qrow savoured the silence whilst he could.

Blake lifted her head slightly, sniffing the air as subtly as she could. Then her book was flung to the side and she rushed to the door, hurrying towards the smell of salmon.

* * *

Nyx's protests won when she demanded that Jaune at least got some lunch. His stomach answered with a growl that he couldn't deny, and Nyx laughed once more. This time she sounded more like herself, her face lighter, looser.

"I don't think you can argue against yourself. Now, go!" She laughed, propping herself back on an elbow, and smiling with a genuine gratitude. "And thank you, Jaune."

Jaune waved off the thanks and returned upstairs, reminding her to come get something if she didn't want Nora to eat it all.

That provoked another laugh, and another dismissal, but Nyx didn't move. She stayed sat in the sparring room, her free hand resting on her stomach.

* * *

Despite the heavy armoured corset she wore, Nyx was sure she could feel the scar that reached up under her ribs, disappearing for a few centimetres and then reappearing just below her heart. She let out a sigh, certain she could feel her flesh tearing as it had when the stinger had entered her gut, stabbing through her back and curling around to poke at her heart. It was a pain like nothing she'd ever felt, hurting only after the Death Stalker had perished, it's stinger fading away into dust.

She could still feel herself fall, her knees collapsing underneath her, and her aura draining in a second as she, completely unconsciously, tried to repair the most vital organs and ruptured blood vessels.

It was pure luck that there had been a hospital in the nearest town.

Sheer good fortune that there was a resident specialist in traumas to the torso in said hospital.

But Qrow had always focused on the fact that it was a segment bad luck that had made him swing the scythe a fraction too late to stop the stinger from piercing her flesh in the first place. He'd always wanted to blame himself for her injuries, for the lasting pain that ricochetted through her on a daily basis, refusing to accept the fact that without him, Nyx surely would have died.

* * *

Nyx finally emerged to scavenge the remnants of lunch, and found that a bowl of noddles, ladled with a hefty portion of chicken, a heavenly smelling sauce and more than enough veg to last a lifetime waited for her. It rested inside the oven, clinging on to its heat like a small child clings on to its favourite toy. She rescued it from the oven and cradled it in her arms, hugging the warmth to her stomach and smiling happily.

"I think you have to actually eat it, not just absorb it through your stomach,"

"Shut up, Qrow, we're having a moment," Nyx muttered, glowering at him playfully, her eyes darting sideways to look up at him. He merely shook his head, amused. Nyx lifted her head and turned fully to him, grinning and hopping up on to the counter, stilling cradling the bowl to her stomach. Qrow let his mouth lift into a slight smile, and pinched a piece of chicken from the top of the bowl.

"Hey!" Nyx yelped as though it was her that just was bitten into, not the chicken. She lifted her fork menacingly, and narrowed her eyes at Qrow. "I will stab you if you ever take my food again."

Qrow merely rolled his eyes in response, and lifted his mug to his lips. He was about to make a trademark sarcastic comment when Ruby's voice floated over to the two of them.

"We're taking the train to Argus tomorrow, are you coming, Nyx?" Ruby's eyes were wide as she looked across the table at Nyx, her face framed by the shoulders and heads of Yang and Jaune. Everyone turned to look at her.

"Of course she's coming!" Weiss began indignantly, her head swiftly whipping between Ruby and Nyx. "Aren't you?" A slight falter found its way into her voice. Nyx grinned and nodded sharply.

"You guys saved me food. I'm coming with you whether you want me to or not," she joked. Then her smile softened and she added. "Of course I'll come."

Ruby grinned at her, and turned back to her team mates, and the background bubble of noise resumed.

* * *

Nyx lay on her bed, sprawled out in a comfortable, yet completely undignified, flop, whilst Qrow sat at the desk, handwriting a letter to Ironwood. The pen felt awkward and clunky in Qrow's hand, unused to bulk of an ink pen. The letters he wrote were pointy, scratched out on to the paper in harsh, jet black lines, the words forming slowly as he fought with the pen to make the words form sentences in a somewhat legible manner. His brow was furrowed with concentration as he tried to think of how he could phrase things.

Nyx watched the stoop of his shoulders, absent-mindedly smiling at his back, glad that he couldn't see her face. Qrow's scribbling stopped for a second and Nyx took the opportunity to speak.

"Do you need me to write it for you?"

"Shut up," Qrow retorted, but he smiled. "Anyway, James would get confused if it wasn't in my 'illegible scrawl'."

Nyx laughed, stretching out her arms on the bed. She had changed out of her armour when she'd finished her lunch, choosing instead comfort, and so the loose top rose as she stretched. Qrow turned to look at her as she squeaked out a yawn.

"What are you looking at?" Nyx demanded, sitting up and straightening out her top.

"When did your scar fade?" Qrow asked, confusion clouding his eyes. Nyx frowned and her hand found her stomach, only to find smooth skin, none of the raised white scar tissue that had decorated her torso even just that morning.

"Huh." Was all she could manage.

Qrow moved without thinking, he knelt at the side of her bed and his fingers traced the spot where her scar had trailed. Then he suddenly snapped back to himself and flung himself into a standing position, a startled expression flooding his concern. He shoved his hands into his pockets, curling his fingers into fists.

"Guess Jaune must be more powerful than I thought," Nyx murmured under her breath. Qrow merely stared at her. Nyx rolled her eyes and met his gaze firmly, swinging herself up off the bed and sliding her face on to Qrow's cheek, forcing him to hold her gaze. "Look, as there isn't even a scar left, will you stop beating yourself up about something that had nothing to do with you?"

"I could have got you killed-"

"-No. Stop." Nyx snapped. "_I_ could have got me killed. I was showing off and I got sloppy. _You_ saved my life. _You _carried me to a hospital, made sure I didn't bleed out on the way, and saved my goddamn life." Nyx did not let go of Qrow's face and stared harshly into his eyes. "You can beat yourself up all you like about your own mistakes, but this was mine, and mine alone, do you understand? That one experience made me a better huntress and a better person and, Qrow Branwen, it had nothing to do with you."

Nyx dropped her hand, but held Qrow's gaze. The silence pulled on the tension in the room, forcing them to sit and stew in the speech.

"You're cute when you scold people," Qrow grinned. Nyx shoved him backwards, very ineffectively and laughed, the tension fading away to the shadows. For once, Qrow allowed himself to enjoy the moment, and his laugh joined Nyx's.

* * *

Ruby and Yang paused outside Nyx's room. Yang lowered her hand, deciding against knocking, and dragged Ruby back by the hood.

"But…" Ruby protested. Yang paused and raised an eyebrow.

"Come on, when was the last time you heard Qrow laugh?" She asked. Ruby looked back at the closed wooden door, and the laugh which seemed only to swell as she stood there. Ruby stopped fighting Yang and instead followed her back down the stairs to the others.


	8. Chapter 8

Train stations were always impenetrably loud, far too bright and far too artificial for Nyx's liking. She always felt far too exposed in them, and she hated being vulnerable. But she swallowed her discomfort and followed the gaggle of children into the train station, laughing lightly at their excitement. Despite her best efforts to convince the group to stay together, it splintered the second that Ruby saw the train shop. Once Ruby had darted inside, vanishing in a whirlwind of rose petals, Blake gestured to the bridge where her parents stood, waving at her.

The others soon trailed off, promising to return in five minutes, and so Nyx was left, sat on the platform with no one but her own company. She kicked her feet up on to the seat next to her and stretched her legs out, and shut her eyes for a moment.

When she opened them, everyone had returned except Blake and Qrow, who was taking far too long to post a letter. Nyx was certain he'd decided buy some of the whiskey she'd seen on offer, but he was a fully grown man and she was not his mother. Although she did start thinking of ways to get it off him at the first opportunity.

* * *

On the far side of the seats that Nyx sprawled over sat the young huntsmen-to-be, who all watched the two men striding towards them, unimpressed. Weiss raised an eyebrow at them as they spoke, swinging their weapons over their shoulders, trying desperately to emulate being much more macho than they really were.

"No one's got to be worried with us around," Dee bragged, stepping forwards slightly. Weiss's eyebrow only raised further, and she resisted rolling her eyes, instead settling for a demand.

"And you are?" Her voice was cold, abrupt. She crossed her legs and smoothed the fabric of her skirt, not looking at Dee and Dudley for a moment as they gave their names, and tried to impress the girls with their official title, swaggering all the time they spoke.

"Oh no, if things get dangerous, however will we cope." Floated up Nyx's voice, followed shortly by her frame. She draped an arm over the station seats and looked at the huntsmen critically. They wavered slightly under her gaze. "Do you know who I am?" She finally asked, stepping over the seats. Dudley shook his head, opening his mouth once more.

"No, but we are professional huntsmen, so you lovely ladies don't have to worry about anything." He puffed his chest out further, folding his arms in front of him. Nyx smiled, but it did not reach her eyes. It was cruel, and her eyes fell into shadow. A dark shape crept up Dudley's frame and shadow flooded his eyes.

"I don't think we'll be doing much worrying," she hissed into his ear, before letting the shadow fall away. "Now, why don't you go close that private entrance you've left wide open, there's a dear." Nyx patted his cheek condescendingly, and turned back to the group, not waiting to watch the men scurry away, throwing blame between the two of them. Qrow stood behind the children, hands firmly in his pockets and looked at Nyx, his face unreadable.

"You could have just told them to leave," he said, lifting an eyebrow at Nyx. She grinned and fall back on to the seat.

"Oh come on Qrow, like you wouldn't have messed with them a bit," Nyx countered, slumping backwards.

"I wouldn't have blinded them, no."

"Because you can't," Nyx muttered, somewhat petulantly. Qrow shook his head disbelievingly. Nyx only grinned at him, and waited for him to reply to her, to tell her she was childish, that he'd never toy with people like that. But Qrow and Nyx both knew he'd be lying if he said anything against her actions.

"Because it was unnecessary." Came Qrow response as he sat down next to her. Nyx leant her head on his shoulder and beamed up at him.

"Don't be jealous, Qrow, it doesn't suit you. And it was necessary, dicks like that always need knocked down a few pegs."

* * *

The train was rocking them gently, a cradle comforting them with its sway as they rushed past the mountainous terrain. Snow decorated the landscape, a blanket that made distance perception so much harder as it was nothing more than a boundless sea of snow, decorated with toothpicks of trees, some bare and skeletal, many more were evergreens, clinging on to their leaves defiantly.

The group had scattered along the train, chattering and eating, relaxing and reading, simply enjoying being together without the feeling of an impending fight looming over them. Team RWBY had stayed in their cabin, contented to just chat away the hours, where Team JN(P)R and Oscar went to find the food cart, too excitable to sit still. Nora bounced off the walls, her enthusiasm swelling so much that the train seemed to groan and expand in order to contain her.

Nyx and Qrow seemed to be in three places at once, not particularly due to them darting about the train, but simply due to the fact that all the children were too preoccupied to notice that they had left. So they appeared to exist in the cabin with Team RWBY, and in the food carriage with Jaune, Nora, Ren and Oscar, whilst really leaning against a window in the corridor, talking in a low voice.

Their position only seemed to be fixed when the Sphynxes descended on the train. Then all of them were very fixed on the roof of the train cars.

* * *

The silence that echoed around Nyx seemed to cause time to slow. The far carriage slid from the rails and toppled, sliding down the side of the mountain, taking all those still at the far end with it. She watched with horror, unable to stop the train wreck from happening.A huge scar formed in the earth as the carriage threw itself down the ragged mountain, tossing snow out of its way and leaving behind the deep brown flesh of the earth. Nyx's shuddering gasp of a breath broke herself out of the reverie, out of the vacuum she'd found herself in. Suddenly, the noise of the engine grew louder, the screech of the Grimm above her, spiralling around the train still, became glanced towards the end of the train as it skidded to a halt, only just in sight still, and then looked up at the single remaining Sphynx. It opened its mouth and screeched at her. Nyx narrowed her eyes, screamed right back at it and threw herself up towards the Grimm.

* * *

The four that remained of the party slunk back into the train, feeling empty and a helpless. Nyx clasped a hand on Ren's shoulder as she passed him, and strode towards the passengers, moving to reassure them. As she did, a shadow seemed to fall over the outside of the train, the outside world tinted as though through sunglasses. Ren, Nora and Jaune collapsed into seats near the back of the train, their hearts heavy. Ren breathed out a heavy sigh, and let the mask he'd been willing over the train to lift, instead focusing on catching his breath.

"Do you think the others are okay?" Jaune asked, finally breaking the silence. Nora looked up at him, and quickly jumped to reassure him.

"They will be!" She insisted. "We'll see them at Argus in no time, I'm sure of it."  
Jaune didn't seem so convinced, looking out instead at the ravine that fell away just beneath the window. He didn't say a word, merely watched them fly away from where they'd left their friends.

"We can't think about them right now, we just have to think about getting everyone else safely to Argus." Ren's voice was much calmer, controlled than Nora's instinctive reassurance. It offered a sense of focus, a purpose. Jaune didn't meet his gaze but nodded, still looking out the window.  
Nyx returned to the group, looking somewhat paler than she had done before. Wearied by her own reassurance, she slid into the seat next to Jaune, took one look at the melancholic group and forced her spine straighter. She rubbed a hand swiftly over her left eye, reviving herself as much as she could before speaking in a soft, low voice.

"Hey." All six eyes were drawn to her. "They'll be alright. Even if they weren't more than capable of handling themselves, they've got Qrow. He won't let anything happen to them." Nyx's face was serious, unable to force a reassuring smile, but it held a sincerity which washed all three of them with a small tinge of hope. Jaune stopped his morose gazing out of the window, Ren let his head rest back against the seat, and Nora looked up cautiously at Nyx.

"Are you dating Qrow?" She asked, or rather, demanded. Her eyes were focused on Nyx's inquisitive, but not probing. Nyx let out a huff of air that could almost be mistaken for a laugh, and a sharp pang shot through her chest, stabbing her where the Death Stalker's glowing orange point had grazed her heart all those years ago. A twinge shot through her upper lip, curling it into a perversion of a smile.

"Not exactly, no."

Nora didn't drop her gaze.

"Are you sure?"

And so Nyx delved into her backstory, wasting away the remaining time on the train by answering Nora's persistent questions. Usually her answers were met with disappointment, nowhere as scandalous as Nora had been hoping.

* * *

Living in Jaune's elder sister's house was uncomfortable for the first hour, but they were both so welcoming that any clunky civilities soon faded and Nyx was treating the place like a second home. She spent every spare second trying to regain her control over shadows, trying to make them form the solid beings of shade and dust she'd once been able to conjure without so much as a hitch in her breath.  
Mostly she was left to her own devices, but if any of the children moved towards the door, she would be there in a heartbeat, insisting they message her if anything happened, that they stay in contact the whole day. Sometimes she would force her presence on them, lingering awkwardly, a strange, uncomfortable guardian angel. She knew it was irrational, she knew within the city walls they were far safer than they had been on the train, but letting them out of her sight pained her, so Nyx forced Jaune, Nora and Ren to be accompanied near enough everywhere. Saphron found it quite sweet the way that her brother's 'mentor' took such a care over the students, but something unsettled her in the persistence of Nyx's presence.

* * *

On the first night of their stay, Nyx crumbled under the stern gaze. She wrapped her fingers around the ceramic cup, the tea wafting through the air and warming the skin on her face.

"I'm not a teacher at any academy," Nyx began, answering the question which had not been asked. "More an old friend of Qrow's and an experienced huntress who's just keeping an eye out, in case of situations like this where separation became necessary." _Lie_. Nyx shut her eyes against the warning tone within her own skull. "It's been a little harder on me than I expected. I'm not used to working with a group any more, and I get far too worried about these kids - not that they aren't capable of handling themselves, they are. They are such good huntsmen and huntresses already, but I fret a bit."

"Do you know where the others are?" Terra Cotta-Arc asked her, sitting across the room, holding an equally full, equally steaming mug. Nyx only shook her head briefly, instead complaining about the bad signal since the CCT tower fell. She forced a brightness to her face, and smiled.

"I'm sure they'll be here soon. By the end of the week definitely, but as they are on foot, it's a little uncertain."


	9. Chapter 9

Jaune, Nora and Ren rushed to the city walls, their feet blurring in a rush of movement. People felt themselves barrelled past, twisting to avoid the whirlwind of children, excitement brewing in their very actions. In their wake, strode Nyx, walking calmly. She watched the kids throw themselves down the street with reckless abandon, a smile forming in her eyes.

Jaune was leading them in their frantic run, forcing his way through the crowd and nearing the gate. His blonde hair glinted amongst the crowd, his head bobbing and weaving, an urgency driving him forward, forward, forward. Behind came the small blur of pink that was Nora, Ren sticking alongside her closely.

They threw themselves out the gate, and piled on to the gaggle of children. They fell about in a heap, tangled limps and sheer relief bubbling itself into a mass hysterical laugh. As they rolled together, trying to free themselves and stand, still laughing, Nyx stepped through the gate. She let the smile lift her mouth, and then tore her gaze from the children, trailing her eyes to Qrow.  
He firmly kept his eyes on the children, his face unreadable. His hand seemed to move on its own accord, lifting the flask to his lips. As he tilted his head back, he saw Nyx looking at him, no longer smiling. She took a step towards him, and it was as though she had been allowed to move once more. That one small step sent forward a flood of movement, and Nyx flung herself at him, wrapping her arms tightly around him.

"I was so worried," she breathed out, her breath haggard in his ear.  
When Qrow did not move, only stood allowing her to hug him, Nyx peeled herself back. She tried to control the breathing that threatened to overthrow her, to run her awash with tears. She pressed all the worry and concern back into her gut, her face losing all colour as she did so. Faded to a ghostly white, Nyx could no longer look at Qrow's expressionless face as he swayed backwards, Nyx no longer holding him up.

Instead Nyx turned to Maria, recognising the wizened older woman and forced herself into a warm smile.

"Artemis," Maria greeted her, squinting at her and then banging on the sides of her eyes, muttering about the damned things.

"Calavera! If I'd known you were with them, I wouldn't have needed to worry." Nyx's smile was unconvincing, but it was a good effort. Maria bashed her leg with her cane and started to head towards the city, trudging up the steady incline.

* * *

As they walked back up the hill to Jaune's sister's house, Qrow fell in step with Nyx, bringing up the rear of the pack. The silence was unbearable.  
Qrow would not look at Nyx, and Nyx would not speak to Qrow. They walked for half a mile in silence before Nyx's resolve cracked and she grabbed Qrow's wrist, grinding him to a halt. Twisting him around so that he had no choice but to look at her, she swallowed difficultly.

"Look, I don't know what has happened, but something has, and when we get inside, you better tell me everything."

Qrow simply pulled his arm back, threw his hand back into its pocket and drank deliberately, and heavily, from his flask. Nyx watched him, stationary for half a beat and then followed him, leaving her heart where she had stood, ripping itself into a frenzy. Her mind reeled, her emotions twisting themselves into new and more painful shapes, merging anger and sadness, an ache which had lived with her for more years than she wanted to count suddenly flooded her.

Qrow never once looked back at Nyx the whole slow, relentless trudge up the hill.

* * *

"I feel like I didn't react like they wanted me to," Nyx began, her words emerging slowly, tentatively. There was a hesitancy about her movements, an uncertainty in the way she moved across the room to sit by Maria. Everyone else had vanished, some leaving to wander the city, thinking long and hard about the revelation, some only really thinking about what Ozpin's lies truly meant. Jaune's hole lingered in the wall, adamantly staring at Nyx, making her feel as though her reaction was inadequate.

"Well, you did call the ground shaking news 'obvious'," Maria countered, leaning her forearms on the cane. "That may have upset your boyfriend slightly."

"Not my boyfriend."

"Yes he is." Maria didn't so much as blink her mechanical eyes. Nyx collapsed backwards on the couch, sprawling away from the old woman and groaned. She closed her eyes against the world, and then threw herself off the couch.

"It was quite clear! Are you telling me that you don't agree with me?" Nyx demanded. Her voice suddenly softened and she offered Maria a tea, barely pausing in her stride, talking over the answer. "We knew Ozpin and Salem were immortal beings, so it's no wonder they were intimate at some point, we just didn't know the specifics! I don't blame Oz for that, how could you?"

Nyx's ramblings were lost over the noise of the kettle boiling. Maria simply sat and waited for her to reappear, holding two mugs of steaming liquid in front of her. As soon as she felt the couch give way next to her, Maria spoke.

"I don't think that's the part your boyfriend objected to-"

"-not my boyfriend."

"- but the part where the person he's put all his faith into has no idea how to defeat Salem." Maria continued, ignoring Nyx's second interjection.

Nyx did not find the words to respond, sitting in a stunned silence. She took a sip of her tea. Looking into the depths of the mug, Nyx saw her own lost expression.

"I don't understand how Qrow could have that amount of faith in Oz." She did not look up. She was barely even speaking to Maria anymore, more winding her way through her own thoughts, letting them surface in the form of words and then dismissing them. "He sends children to their deaths instead of facing Salem himself. He keeps all this a secret, hiding it from the world. How can humanity learn from its mistakes if we're not allowed to know them?" Nyx's head suddenly turned from her mug to Maria's face. "Qrow is such a smart man, and yet so goddamn stupid to have any faith in Oz."

* * *

Nyx ranted for what felt like hours more, her mind reeling, unable to understand that Qrow had persisted in having faith in Ozpin. She went around in circles, throwing up her old memories of how they had been treated as students, how they had fought and lived and watched their friends die, all for Oz.

To her the fact that Oz had no idea what he was doing was glaringly obvious - he sent children after children on 'recon' missions. He let people die for him whilst never even facing Salem himself. He was so clearly lost in Nyx's mind, the only thing she felt like she had more certainty on was the fact that Oz was clearly still in love with Salem, and that she could sympathise on.

Nyx spoke in anger to Maria until the anger ebbed out of her. She threw her hands in dramatic sweeping motions, and then all the energy left her. Now she simply sat on the edge of the couch, exhausted, confused, drained in everyday imaginable. She stared into space, not seeing anything in the room with her.

"I'd feel sorry for Qrow if this hadn't been slapping him in the face for years." Finally emerged out her lips, lifting through the air. Nyx felt a stirring in her gut, a tugging, as though she knew she ought to feel bad about the comment, but she felt no such guilt. Standing by the comment, Nyx let the silence squash her, drowning out the sense of should-be-guilt. Maria did not lift the crushing weight of the silence for her, only stared at her, waiting for Nyx to come to her own realisation.

* * *

Nyx did not.

* * *

Instead she moved upstairs, for once deliberately making noise, shattering the peaceful nature of the house. She felt a need to throw something, to hit something, to watch it break into tiny pieces, shattering like Qrow's faith in Oz had. She felt she needed to watch something break apart that wasn't Qrow, just for a change watching a physical destruction, rather than watching Qrow burn himself into ash.

She clattered into Oscar's room and watched the mannequin he'd procured from who-knows-where became draped in a long, dusky green coat. He was so absorbed in his actions, that Nyx's entry wasn't noticed at first.

"Looks nice," she said, the little amount of enthusiasm she could muster lifting her voice. It seemed to do as she intended, as Oscar beamed and looked at her, then back at his design.

"Do you really think so?" There was such an urgency for approval in that simple question, but it was balanced with a pride. Nyx watched the mirage of emotions blur over his face, and smiled, a soft, warm smile. Sitting down on the bed, she confirmed her comment.

"Of course. It's very you. I like the red details on the coat."

Oscar smiled wider, sitting down next to her. They paused for a moment.

"Oz-" Oscar began. Nyx hushed him, not allowing him further in the half-formed thought that had raised itself to the forefront of his mind. She raised an arm and placed it around his shoulders.

"I think we've all heard enough about Oz for today." She didn't look at him. "And if he is going to hide like a coward, then I think I'd like to just talk to Oscar. The Oscar that we all like, and trust."

A pause.

"He kept so much from us," Oscar said quietly. Nyx squeezed his shoulders and then dropped her arm. "And he doesn't even have a plan."

"Nope."

"Then what is the point?" Oscar's voice rose, an anger he didn't even know he felt brewing up through his voice, raising it in pitch and tone. "If we can't stop her, then why are we trying?"  
Nyx stared at him, hearing the suggestion aloud for the first time. She raised an eyebrow at him, her own anger suddenly subsiding. Oscar's objection had been like a stone dropped into a raving sea, and yet with the impact of the stone, the waters of her mind stilled, the ripples sending out washes of calm.  
Nyx looked at Oscar, a sadness replacing the anger, her eyes shining brightly in the fading light.

"Because doing nothing is worse," she said simply. "Even if we're just damage control, we have to do something. If saving the world is out of the question, if we can't defeat Salem then we have to at least try and protect as many people from her as possible." When Oscar didn't say anything, Nyx placed an arm around his shoulders, needing the hug as much as he did. "We don't have to save everyone, because that's an impossible task, but I know I have to save at least someone. Even if it is just myself." Nyx stood and moved across the room, feeling much calmer in her own self. She made it to the door before pausing, not turning around, but not quite ready to leave. Not yet.

"Where are you going?" Oscar asked, picking up the orange gloves that lay abandoned on the bed. Nyx glanced over her shoulder, her eyes briefly falling on the gloves, before smiling a little sadly.

"I'm going to try to stop Qrow from drinking himself to death."


	10. Chapter 10

Nyx didn't need to go very far.

She found Qrow sprawled on the steps to the house, drooling rolling down the side of his mouth. His mouth hung limply open, a loud snore echoing through his throat and ripping apart the quiet evening. Nyx paused, silhouetted in the open door, the orange, warm light spilling out from behind her and wrapping Qrow in a gentle embrace. She gripped the door, her fingers turning white with the pressure they forced on the wooden frame. With an exasperated sigh, Nyx let go of the door, causing it to swing wildly, hitting the wall and bouncing back, clipping her ankle as it did so. She hauled Qrow upright, forcing his arm around her shoulder and tried to convince him to walk up the stairs.

She had managed one step before the others returned, looking defeated, tired. Jaune looked particularly guilty, his eyes trailing on the ground, trudging behind all the others and refusing to look anyone in the eye.

"Well that's a good look for the neighbours," Terra Cotta muttered under her breath, looking disapprovingly at the limp figure of Qrow. Nyx mouthed her apologies at the two women, and then looked back at Qrow. He let his head rock back, but he was at least awake now. The anger in her gut rekindled itself, and she swept an arm under his knees, a harsh collision of bone on joint. Qrow's legs gave way and Nyx scooped him up into her arms, carrying him bridal style back into the house.

"Carry me like a princess," Qrow mumbled, his words slurring together, head barely supported. But his face had a loose grin on it, a grin that told Nyx he wouldn't remember any of this in the morning. Nyx did not say a word, leading the group back in silently.

* * *

As the door shut behind Jaune, Nyx threw Qrow on to the couch, letting gravity guide him down. He thudded on to the couch, the furniture sliding back a few centimetres with the force Qrow landed with.

"So, what were all you doing out?" Nyx asked, a nonchalance forced into her voice, an unnerving lightness throwing everyone off.

"Looking for Oscar," Ruby replied dully, her following sigh signalling her defeat. Nyx paused, holding the glass under the tap for far longer than necessary, letting the water splash over her hand. She shut off the tap and then turned to all of them, frowning. With her free hand she pointed at the ceiling.

"He's upstairs?" She said, confusion furrowing her brow. "He never left - did none of you think to check his bedroom?"

The group turned on each other, accusations about to start flying before Saphron stepped in, reminding everyone that the important thing was everyone knew where he was, and that he was okay.

"It's only natural to not think clearly when you panic," Nyx added helpfully, standing in front of Qrow and smiling reassuringly at the group.

Then she slapped Qrow.

It wasn't a gentle slap either. The impact of it cracked his head back, throwing his neck on to an angle. The sound ricochetted around the room, causing all present to flinch. A red mark started to bloom on Qrow's cheek, fiery red, already starting to swell with the impact. Steps hurried down the stairs, and Oscar burst into view, demanding to know what the noise was.

"Drink." Nyx was not asking. It was a demand, and she didn't wait for Qrow to answer before she thrust the glass into his hand, guiding it to his lips with more aggression than was necessary. Behind her, Saphron ushered the children upstairs, before tactfully disappearing with Terra. Apparently Adrian's bath time tonight would require both of his mothers.

And so Nyx and Qrow were left alone, one drunk out of his mind, one angry beyond belief.

* * *

As Qrow drained the first glass of water, Nyx snatched it and replaced it with a new, full one.

"Are you taking care of me?" Qrow asked, the same grin plastered on his face. Nyx's gaze was full of silence and fury, her cheeks burning almost as red as Qrow's, both blushes caused by her anger. Qrow didn't notice her fury, and continued his mindless babbling.

Nyx slapped him again. On the same cheek. The impact broke the skin of the swelling bruise, a small blood red line trailing across the flushed skin. Qrow was too drunk to activate his aura, the only surefire way of telling quite how drunk he was, for Qrow had a bad habit of pretending to be drunker than he ever truly was. This time there was no acting.

"Gods above, I hate you," Nyx said, not expecting Qrow to react.

"No, you don't."

Nyx crumbled in on herself, she could feel herself start to give way, the tears forming, her stomach clenching itself together in an attempt to hold herself together. Standing by and watching Qrow slowly kill himself was more torture for her than it was for him. He might have given up on Oz, on defeating Salem, on himself, but Nyx wasn't ready to quit yet.

"Drink your damn water."

"You are taking care of me," Qrow sang. "You remember that time that I broke my arm, was it my arm? Yes, arm. This one!" Qrow waved the arm in the air, spilling water as he did so. "And couldn't do anything for months. You took care of me then too."

Nyx didn't answer him. Qrow slid towards her on the couch, and lowered his head to her shoulder, proclaiming a loud "Boop!" As he did so. Nyx did not push his head off of her. She stayed upright, her gaze steadily staring forwards.

"Please don't." The words were barely more than a whisper, so quiet that Nyx wasn't sure if she said them or if the slight breeze had just brushed a leaf against the window. Qrow didn't move, and kept reminiscing about the 'good old times', his voice becoming gradually more steady, his sentences more coherent.

"Qrow. Stop." This time the words came out more firmly. Qrow lifted his head, looking at her, more steady in his actions as well.

"Why?" He asked before Nyx had an answer. She buried her face in her hands, curling into a slight ball and held herself together.

"You know why." Nyx spoke to her hands, refusing to lift her head. Qrow simply kept looking at her puzzled, waiting for her to tell him what he apparently already knew.

But, Nyx didn't clarify, only stood and cleared her throat awkwardly, hoping for the cough to clear the air as well. She grabbed the hem of her skirt and balled in up in her fists, trying desperately to keep her face neutral. "Are you sober enough to make it through the night without vomming in your mouth and choking to death?"

"No. You'll have to stay with me all night and make sure I don't die," Qrow said standing up. Nyx's eyes darkened.

"Qrow. Can you please stop that?" She turned on him, an age old anger fuelling her words. "Stop with the reminiscing, with the jokes, with the flirting. Just stop all of it."

"Why?" Qrow let out another mischievous grin, Nyx's anger having never affected him much. Anyway, she was cute when she was angry, her eyes sparkled under the lights, and the light flush that rose to her cheeks was so sweet.

* * *

Nyx's words tumbled from her before she could stop them, loud, abrasive to her own ears. She cursed them even as she said them, her face burning, her heart suddenly pounding in her chest, growing faster, louder, pounding over and over into her rib cage. She didn't mean to say it, she didn't mean to admit it. She felt the fear rise in her, unable to rip her eyes off of Qrow.

* * *

Being part of Ozpin's 'Save-The-World' squad once more was messing with Nyx's head. Nyx was anxious. Twitchy. She verged on paranoia. Her mind was constantly reeling with what-ifs, with possibilities that seemed increasingly less improbable.

When she closed eyes, Salem won. When she opened them, it was only a matter of time. Fear crept onto her every pore, dictated her every action, demanded all the space within her mind. It was unbearable, crushing, and, damningly, all too familiar.

It was just like last time.

Nyx was unable to leave anyone alone, unable to let anyone just nip around the corner, or to stay in the house alone, and she hated it. She hated it so much. It consumed her to the point where she couldn't think about anything but the possibility of losing everyone all over again, and so, with her mind all tangled up in itself, words simply spilled out of her mouth. It was like she couldn't stop herself from destroying her own happiness. She couldn't hold back any of it, and the words simply fell past her lips.

"Because you don't have to persuade me to love you!"

She'd made her confession to Qrow and suddenly she was talking, talking quickly, endlessly. The words almost felt meaningless, they were tumbling through the air too quickly, like a carriage falling from the train tracks. They were the wrong words. In her head, she'd had this conversation a thousand times, a thousand ways and it had never once been right.

But this was way off the mark.

It was all too soon, too rushed and far too late.

* * *

Nyx couldn't bear the silence that fell upon them. She'd clamped her hand over her mouth, holding herself back from spilling forth more words, even though she couldn't stuff the words she'd already spoken back into her mouth. She felt drunk, out of control, as though she'd been the one steadily drinking all day, not Qrow.  
Qrow, who was just looking at her, expressionless. Blank.

Qrow, who hadn't moved throughout Nyx's uncontrolled snowballing of words.

Qrow, who deliberately placed the glass on the coffee table and stood up, wordless, glanceless, heartless, and walked out the room. Once more he left Nyx, though this time, she saw the decision he made. She saw him go, instead of being left with an inexplicable void, she was left with a bleeding heart, dripping steadily on to the rug.

* * *

And then the dripping stopped. The melted ruins of her heart solidified, the fluid coagulating into a gradually stronger structure.

"No."

The word had to have come from her, forming as she dragged the pieces she was falling to back together. Qrow paused, one hand on the door, back to her. Nyx took a breath, heavy, shaky, but present. She blew it out through her nose with a determined huff and continued.

"No. You do not get to walk away this time." Nyx was surprised at her own voice. It didn't sound like her. It was firm, steady and oddly loud in the room, bouncing off the harsh white plaster. "Sit back down and explain to me why you're leaving. Do you not feel the same? Do you not have the emotional capacity right now? What."  
The last demand came out as more of a snap than Nyx intended, but she didn't care. She glowered at Qrow's back, her demand for answers dragging him around to face her.

"You know why." Qrow's voice was soft, like feathers on the wind.

"No. Qrow. I don't."

Qrow was so close to her now that his breath tickled the wisps of hair that framed Nyx's face, mingling in the air with her own. Her fringe fluttered in the wind of his indecision, heavy breaths falling as Qrow tried to find the words. They panted together.

"I can't watch you suffer because of me." Finally lifted through the air. "I…" The word hung on its own thread, lost in amongst itself, the train of thought lost in the silence.

Nyx shook her head, incredulous, a wet trail down her cheek catching the light as her head moved, a tear that dropped from her chin and landed on her chest.

"You're such an idiot at times," Nyx whispered, another tear rapidly following the first. "Can't you see the exact opposite is true?"


End file.
